Forever in limbo
by JtheBard
Summary: Kim is finally divorced and ready to start her life with Tommy, but will her ex win custody of her kids and what will happen when his mistress enters the picture again? Updated finally! Final chapter posted!
1. Entering into the limbo

**Disclaimer**: I have never, nor will I ever own any part of Power Rangers, though the characters of Samantha, Rebecca, and Chris Travis are my own creations. This is just for pure fun.

**Summary:** Kim is married to the guy in "the letter" but she is miserable. Her husband ignores her mostly and she is stuck in the monotonous life of the suburban housewife. Is she stuck in this limbo forever, or can someone change her life for the better?

**Pairings:** Kim/OC, with mentions of Jason/Kat, Billy/Hailey, and Connor/Kira

**Time:** Post DT

A/N: This my first T/K story, so please be gentle. The plot bunnies were not letting me sleep last night, so I decided to get this story out sooner than I had planned before I forgot it.

A/N 2: I am new to writing in the third person, so without realizing it, I slipped into first person for a paragraph. That has since been fixed though. Sorry!

**Chapter one: Entering into the limbo**

Kim's POV:

It's morning again, just great. Another day, another repeat of the same routine that has been going on for the past ten years since Sam was born. Get up, cook breakfast, pack lunches, take the kids to school. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids dearly, but if you asked me twelve years ago if Kimberly Hart would be playing the role of suburban stay at home housewife, I would have told you that you were nuts and recommended you seek professional help. But, here I am doing just that.

It wasn't always this boring. I met Chris Travis at the Pan Global games, and before you ask, yes, he is the guy in "the letter". He was the young assistant athletic trainer at our training facility and from the moment I saw him, I knew that I was in trouble. I loved Tommy then and in some way, I always will, but Chris was there then and before I knew it, there were sparks between us that quickly turned into flames. It was then that I wrote Tommy the letter, mainly out of guilt, but at the same time, I knew it was time for us both to move on. Well, about a year after that letter was sent, I got the shock of my life when I found out that I was pregnant. Chris of course, told me that he would stand by me and offered to marry me. I was still in shock of finding out I was pregnant and more than anything, I was scared, I knew I could not do this on my own, so I accepted his offer. He was going to medical school to be a orthopedic surgeon and had a bright future, so I felt as though I had nothing to lose.

I pushed those all to the back of my mind. That was the past and I had today to worry about. Sam and Becky were more than likely up already and I had to make sure that I had breakfast cooking before they decided to "surprise" me by doing it themselves. Also, Chris always wanted a hot breakfast in the morning, to get him ready for the day he claims, even when he has an overnight shift at the hospital. I have learned to live with that little request. It's one of the only times that he even acknowledges that I exist. With a deep sigh, I swing my feet out of my husbandless bed and pull a light pink robe on before heading downstairs.

Ten minutes later, I am at the stove stirring oatmeal while bacon is sizzling and the coffee is brewing. Sam is at the table finishing up her homework, she has been having trouble with math lately and I remind myself to speak with her teacher about that soon. Becky is sitting next to her singing a song of her own making, contently doing the hair of her favorite doll. She is only five years old, and kindergarten does not put too much stress on her yet. I have a feeling that she will be smart, just like her mother of course. I start to run through the events of the day in my head. Chris is working another long shift at the hospital so he will not be home until late. While the girls are at school, I will be picking up the dry cleaning, pricing new furniture for the guest bedroom, and doing the grocery shopping. That being done, I will get the girls from school and take Sam to soccer practice. So far she has not shown interest in gymnastics, much to my disappointment, but Becky shows promise, and loves to tumble around the house. I want to teach her what I know, but Chris thinks that she is too young to learn "all that foolishness", funny he did not feel that way when I was doing it eleven years ago. I give another tired sigh, it's going to be another long day.

Looking for some distraction, I flip on the radio in the kitchen. Chris has it tuned to a country station for some reason. The song that I hear strikes a chord with me,

_Flowers and wine is what I thought I would find  
When I came home from working tonight  
Well now here I stand, over this frying pan  
And you want a cold one again_

_I bought these new heels, did my nails  
Had my hair done just right  
I thought this new dress was a sure bet  
For romance tonight  
Well it's perfectly clear,between the TV and beer  
I won't get so much as a kiss  
As I head for the door I turn around to be sure  
Did I shave my legs for this?_

_Now when we first met you promised you'd get  
A house on a hill with a pool  
Well this trailer stays wet and were swimmin' in debt  
And you want me to go back to school_

_I bought these new heels,did my nails  
Had my hair done just right  
I thought this new dress was a sure bet  
For romance tonight  
Well it's perfectly clear,between the TV and beer  
I won't get so much as a kiss  
As I head for the door I turn around to be sure  
Did I shave my legs for this?  
Darlin did I shave my legs for this?_

Amen sister are my thoughts as the song ends. I flip the bacon as I tell myself that fairytale romances are just that, fairytales. I thought I had that once, but I had to go and throw it away with that damn letter. I did try to fix it once. That had been at Trini's funeral. I had gone to Tommy and tried to talk to him, but other than a hello and a stiff hug, he would not talk to me. I tried to tell myself that it was just the pain from losing one of our closest friends, and perhaps that was part of it, but I am sure that the other part was him seeing Chris next to me with a six year old Sam and baby Becky in my arms. I had not spoken to him since that rainy day though I had heard from Billy that he had gotten his doctorate in Paleontology and was teaching at the local high school here in Reefside. In fact, Billy had started dating Tommy's best friend Hailey. When Chris accepted the position of chief of orthopedic medicine at Reefside general last year and we moved to the town, I almost constantly feared that I would run into him out in town. So what if I did? We were two adults. If he wanted to act like a jerk and ignore me until the end of time that was his lose. I was happy with my life. No, that was a lie, I was miserable.

Tommy's POV:

Do these kids even crack the book that is issued to them at the start of the year? I am sitting here in my home office at ten o'clock at night grading midterm papers, and so far it looks like if more than three students get A's it would be a minor miracle, and that is with the curve that will surely be given. It was times like this that he wondered why he had not decided to teach at the college level. He still could of course, but despite his complaining, he really did like his kids, especially a certain four former students of his that were now making their way through college. He missed Connor, Kira, Trent, and Ethan, but he had almost regular updates from all four of them and was proud that he had made some kind of positive impact on each of their lives.

For the most part, I am content with my life. I own my house outright, the result of saving almost every penny from my racing days, I have good friends, and a good relationship with my family. The only thing missing in my mind is, and I really hate to admit this, is the loneliness. Oh sure, I am not totally alone. Hailey lived about ten minutes away and my old friend Billy had just moved in with her, so he was around too, but it was a different kind of loneliness that I am feeling. There is a part of me that tells me that a bachelor living by himself in a huge four bedroom home was just not normal. I had thought at one point that there would be a certain pink clad brunette that would always be with me and even help him fill this house with the large family that I had always dreamed of. That dream had died when I got that damned letter. They say time heals all wounds, and I thought that that was true as I was actually starting to forgive Kim and some small part of me had hoped that we still had a chance. But then came the tragedy that was Trini's death. I saw Kim there with what could only be her husband and two small children. That was when my dream had finally died for good. She had moved on with her life, so I had to do the same. Maybe I had been a little cold toward her, especially when I had hugged her, but the shock of seeing her with her family, the family that she had _without_ him, was still new and raw.

Suddenly, the ringing of my cell jarred me out of my reflections of the past and the sorry state of my present. My glasses had fallen halfway off of my face , so I took them completely off before I answered the phone.

"Tommy Oliver speaking," I have no idea why I answered so formally, it was habit I guess.

"Well hello Tommy Oliver, this is William Cranston speaking." I had to laugh. Leave it to Billy to be completely serious, and mean it completely.

"Hey Billy, what's got you up so late?"

"I am sorry for the late hour Tommy, but seeing as you are one of my oldest friends and Hailey has known you for some time as well, we wanted you to be one of the first to know."

"The first to know what?" though I had a pretty good idea at this point.

"Tonight at dinner, I asked Hailey to be my wife, and she has accepted."

"Billy that's great man! Congratulations man!" It was just as I had expected, and I was really happy for those two. If two people were ever meant for each other it was them. I have only known one other couple like that and….damn it, there I go again.

"Thanks Tommy. Listen, we are going to have an engagement party next weekend and we would love it if you would be there. But before you agree, there is something else you need to know."

For some reason, my blood ran cold. "What's that?"

"We are inviting Kim as well. I know that you two have not spoken much through the years, but she is like a sister to me, you know that, and it would not be the same if she were not involved. She will also be at the wedding. Hailey is even talking about asking her to actually be in the wedding. Though knowing Kim, Hailey has her work cut out for her."

I went silent. I had had a feeling that this would be the case.

_Come on Tommy, get a grip you ass. You had to know that you would see her eventually; she does live in the same town as you for goodness sake. Also, Billy is right, it would not be fair for her not to at least be at the wedding._

"Tommy? Are you still there?" Billy asked concerned.

I finally found my voice. "Yeah, I am still here. Hey, don't worry, I will be there, don't worry. Just call me later or e mail me with the when and where."

Billy said that he would, and I congratulated him again before saying goodbye and hanging up.

Great, just great, how in the world was I going to deal with this? I had no idea how I was going to deal with being with Kim in the same room for a few hours. The thing was, I did not know what I felt for her anymore and I was scared. I was scared that if I saw her again I would either hate her on site for crushing my heart, or fall instantly back in love with her. Neither option seemed pleasant.

**Alright, there you go; my first Tommy and Kim story. Sorry that it seemed monotonous, but I felt as though I had to set the table for the rest of the story. Also, I have a few plans for this story, so hang on for the ride. I promise you will not be disappointed. Some of you that regularly review my stories may have noticed that I love to have at least one wedding. What can I say? I am a romantic. **

**The song in the story is "Did I shave my legs for this" by Deana Carter. As always, please rate and review. They so make my day.**


	2. Please rescue me

**Disclaimer**: I have never, nor will I ever own any part of Power Rangers, though the characters of Samantha, Rebecca, and Chris Travis are my own creations. This is just for pure fun.

**Summary:** Kim is married to the guy in "the letter" but she is miserable. Her husband ignores her mostly and she is stuck in the monotonous life of the suburban housewife. Is she stuck in this limbo forever, or can someone change her life for the better?

**Pairings:** Kim/OC, with mentions of Jason/Kat, Billy/Hailey, and Connor/Kira

**Time:** Post DT

A/N: Thanks again for the reviews, you guys are the best! Jps1926, thank you for pointing out the POV issue! I have gone back and fixed that in the first chapter, so thanks again for the heads up.

**Chapter two: Please rescue me**

**Kim's POV**:

I hung up the phone and stared at my now empty kitchen. Billy had just called me and told me the happy news that he was getting married to Hailey, and while that was the happiest news I have heard in some time, it also made me worry a little. Hailey was also Tommy's best friend, so I fully expected to see him at the engagement party as well as the wedding.

_Oh well, we are both adults, we can do this_. I told myself this for the thousandth time, and did not believe it any of those times. I was still lost in thought, actually pondering calling Billy back and making up some excuse that I could not make the party at least, when Chris walks in the room. He had just gotten back from a very long shift at the hospital and looked very tired. He would not take the news of a party and a wedding very well, at least not one that involved my friends. If it were one of his buddies getting married, there would be no problem. There would be no second thought as to if we were going or not. He always made time for his friends, sometimes at the expense of his family. Not too long ago, one of his golfing buddies had called needing help building a garage. He had dropped everything and headed over there, table saw in hand. That was the day of Samantha's ninth birthday. I had to be the one to explain to her why her daddy was not at her party. Still, he did have some good qualities to him, though over the recent years even they had been declining. I took a deep breath and started talking to him.

"Hey honey, have a good day?"

He just grunted, still sorting through the mail.

_I remember when I was someone's Beautiful_

Where the hell did that come from? I just pressed on.

"Chris?"

Exasperated, he threw down the mail "What Kimberly? What is on your mind that just cannot wait until I get some rest? It has been a very long day and I want nothing more than to forget that I had to stand in surgery for seven damn hours repairing the tibia of a man who has more looks than brains! So what cannot wait?"

I notice that there is no mention of spending time with me, something that I am slowly getting used to. Tears start to form, but I push them back. I will not let him see me cry.

"I'm sorry to bother you Chris. I know you had a hard day, so I will not bother you anymore." I turn away and start to leave the room.

"Wait, I'm sorry Kim, I did not mean to snap at you. Please, tell me what's on your mind."

I knew he did not mean a single word, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt and turned back to him.

"I just got a call from my old friend Billy…"

"The geek who always wears blue?'

Ouch, that hurt. Chris has always hid his dislike for Billy poorly. He was too smart for a "man" in Chris Travis' opinion.

"Yes, that's the one, and he is not a geek, and what's wrong with blue? Anyway, he just called and told me that he is getting married."

"Good for geek blueboy."

I ignored the insult and continued on. "He also invited the two of us to his engagement party next weekend."

"No."

I was afraid of that, but I still fought on.

"Why not?"

"I suppose that just because I said so would not be enough for you would it?"

I crossed my arms defiantly "Nope, not this time."

"When the hell did you become so spiteful?"

_When you changed from the man I fell in love with _was what I thought, but I decided to remain silent.

"Anyway, the plain truth is that I do not like the guy. We have nothing in common and I would not feel comfortable at that party. Besides, isn't Hayley best friends with your ex?"

"And what does that have to do with anything? Yes, she is and I am pretty certain that Tommy will be there, and he should be, Billy is his best friend too."

"I don't like it, I don't have a good feeling about it."

I was starting to get angry now. The old Kim's fighting spirit was starting to arise.

"You cannot be serious. You are jealous aren't you?"

He scoffed "Of what? Billy? Please."

"No, I can tell that you think Billy is no threat, besides he is the one getting married. You are afraid that Tommy will be there and that he will make a move on me."

"Let him try."

I thought about that for a moment and smiled to myself. Chris was still in good shape, but if I knew Tommy, he had not given up the martial arts. If he and Chris got into a fight, it would not be pretty, but I would not let that happen at Billy's party.

"Look, this would mean a lot to me, can we please go."

He did not like it, but I could sense him breaking. "What about the kids? Who will look after them?"

"I already talked to Hayley about that. She recommends a local college student for a babysitter. Actually, she highly recommends her."

"What's her name?"

"Kira Ford I think."

He finally relented. "Fine, whatever, we will go. Now can I please get some sleep?"

I ran to hug him, he was wooden under my touch. "Yes, and thank you so much Chris."

He pushed me off of him and started to go upstairs toward our bedroom. "Whatever, you owe me though."

I decided to let that go for the moment. "Thanks again Chris. I love you."

No response, nothing from him but complete silence as he disappeared up the steps. I turned away and sure that he was gone, let the tears start flowing freely.

_Why does my husband not love me anymore?_

**One week later. Tommy's home, Tommy's POV**:

How the hell did I convince myself to go through with this? Billy's party was in about two hours and I was a nervous wreck. Why was that? I asked myself. Hayley and Billy are two of my best friends and it's just a simple party celebrating their happiness. I was very happy for those two that was not the issue.

Seeing Kim was.

Despite eleven years having passed, I was still hurt by that damn letter. I think that I had at least partially forgiven her, time has a way of doing that, but I still wanted answers. Why did she turn away from me for him? What does he have that I don't? What can he give her that I can't? I cursed myself, these were questions that I should be asking her, not myself. But would I? If I saw her at the party tonight would I approach her and see about settling years worth of hurt and pain? Could we at least settle things so we could be friends? If what's his face was there, I doubted that I would get that chance. He seemed to me to be the possessive kind. Did I want to do all of that? Yes, yes I did, and God help me, so much more.

I jarred myself out of these thoughts and concentrated on getting ready for the party. I still had an hour or so to go, but time has also changed one other thing about me, I am a lot more punctual than I used to be. I showered, shaved, and changed into a pair of black jeans and a nice white button down shirt. A red and green tie completed the outfit and I congratulated myself on fitting all of my colors into the outfit. Grabbing my wallet and keys, I headed out the door.

**Hayley's Cyberspace café; an hour and a half later. General POV:**

The party was in full swing, and to the person who know what to look for, it was a mini ranger reunion. Trent and his date were in the corner chatting with Ethan and his date. Connor had sent his apologies to the couple. He had elected to spend the night with his girlfriend Kira, who had a new babysitting job. Over at the bar, Jason was trading stories with Rocky, Adam, and Zack. And all four were taking advantage of the free booze. Tommy, sitting in another far corner with his own drink silently hoped that the ranger attitude and the liquid courage would not mix and cause a fight or two. He looked around and saw more familiar faces. Aisha was there as was Tanya, Justin, TJ, Ashley, Andros, and Cassie. Billy and Hayley were working the room, mingling with the crowd and making sure that everyone was having a good time. The only face that Tommy did not see, and was by this point, kind of hoping that he would NOT see was Kim's. His sullen mood must have showed on his face because Jason suddenly plopped down next to him, drink in hand.

"She will be here bro."

"What makes you think that I want her here Jase?"

His best friend snorted and waved his hand in dismissal.

"It's all over your face my friend, but do you want some friendly advice?'

"Would it stop you if I said no?"

"Has it ever? No, what I mean is this. When she does show, you need to let her come to you, not the other way around, especially if that husband of hers is with her."

Jason did not hide the fact that he did not like his sister's choice of mate, and very little of his distain had to do with the fact that it was not Tommy married to her. He just did not like the guy, or the way that he treated Kim. He had many a late night teary phone calls from her when he ignored her or they had gotten into an argument.

"I know you are hurting bro, and I know you want some answers, but she has to want to give them too you. Perhaps she does, but can't because she can't get away from him. That's why I am telling you to wait for her. If you still care for her, then do not pressure her."

"Damn it Jason, I hate it when you are right."

Jason laughed. "Well do I know it." He lifted his glass in the air, "Now drink with me and stop being such a loser."

Tommy returned his laugh and was starting to feel a lot better. Jason always had a way of doing that to him. He raised his glass, toasted Jason, and drained his drink in a long chug. He put it down and was about to let out a large belch when the front door opened. What he saw took his breath away. Jason, seeing where his friend was looking, got up, gave him a nudge, and moved to go elsewhere.

Kim was here, and looking stunning in a tight, long pink skirt and a simple white blouse. Tommy could not help but stare. Unfortunately, she was not alone. Her husband was there with her, and holding onto her as if he was afraid that she might bolt at the first chance she had. His smile was fake as they were greeted by first Billy and Hayley and as they moved into the room, the others at the party. Tommy was about to break his gaze at Kim when all of a sudden, she made eye contact with him.

In those two seconds, Tommy saw two things in her eyes. Pain, and for a split second, pleading.

Casting all fears aside for the moment, one clear thing came to his mind.

_My crane needs me._

**There you go, chapter two is complete and the next chapter should be out around Monday. Since I am going back to Kansas and school in about three weeks, I am trying to get both of my active stories done before then. So, I am alternating between the two, meaning that you will have updates for this one every other day, and the same for my other story "Heal my heart". **

**One more thing, since school is starting again in few weeks and my schedule will get A LOT busier, I was thinking that I may need help with the sequel to my first story "The best medicine." So if anyone is interested in working with me on writing that, just contact me. Thanks! And as always, please rate and review.**


	3. Clandestine rendezvous

**Disclaimer**: I have never, nor will I ever own any part of Power Rangers, though the characters of Samantha, Rebecca, and Chris Travis are my own creations. This is just for pure fun.

**Summary:** Kim is married to the guy in "the letter" but she is miserable. Her husband ignores her mostly and she is stuck in the monotonous life of the suburban housewife. Is she stuck in this limbo forever, or can someone change her life for the better?

**Pairings:** Kim/OC, with mentions of Jason/Kat, Billy/Hailey, and Connor/Kira

**Time:** Post DT

A/N: hewhoreaps, that's a pretty good thought, and you may be right :-P. Again, thank you everyone for all the great reviews. You are the ones that give me the motivation to keep doing this! That, and the evil plot bunnies that haunt my dreams at night!

**Chapter three: Clandestine rendezvous**

**Kim's POV:**

Well, here we are, we finally made it to the party. For awhile, I did not think that it was going to happen, as Chris tried to get out of it at the last minute.

_Flashback:_

I had just finished getting ready, and had gone through a lot to look good. I guess that deep down in the back of my mind, I wanted to look good for Tommy, though I denied it to myself. I had just put in the last of my earrings when Chris walked into our large master bedroom.

"I've changed my mind. We are not going and nothing you can say can change my mind."

"Chris I just now finished getting ready!"

He just shrugged. "Not my problem, just change."

"Why are you doing this to me? You know how much this means to me. Billy is one of my oldest friends…"

"Save it Kim, I have heard it all before and it's getting old. I have had a long day and I am tired, I don't feel like going anywhere."

I scoffed, "Yeah, a long day of playing golf and drinking beer with your friends."

Chris got angry. "So what if I want to have a little fun with my friends? I work very hard to put food on this table, to provide clothes for you and the kids, very expensive clothes I might add, and what do I get in return? A wife who nags me constantly!"

Constantly? What wife is he talking about? Certainly not me.

Something inside me clicks; I am tired of being submissive. I will not back down from this.

"Damn it Chris, I need this! I stay here with your kids while you are out, either working or having fun with your friends. I can't remember the last time I had lunch with Hayley or one of my other girlfriends much less some time alone with my husband. I don't ask for much Chris, in fact, I have pretty much given up on getting any kind of affection from you, but I swear, you will go to this party if I have to drag your ass there."

He was silent. I think he was stunned that I had finally fought back for the first time in years, but the old Chris Travis attitude did not take long to come back.

"One hour, that's it, and I am only going to make sure that your old boyfriend does not try something."

Not that shit again. Fine, I take my victories when I can get them.

"That's fine Chris, whatever."

"Don't you take that tone with me Kim!" and he actually raised his hand as if to strike me. That is something that he has never done in ten years of marriage and it scared the hell out of me. I think he finally realized what he was doing, and backed down. I guess he too thought twice about it.

"Just don't stress me right now Kim, I have enough to worry about," he said as he started to get ready.

The whole scenario took only a few minutes, but little did I know, that it would have a huge impact in my life later on.

_End flashback_

So, here we were in Hayley's Cyberspace café. This is actually the first time I have stepped foot in the place. You know how it is, always meaning to do something, but never really finding the time.

We are quickly greeted by Billy and Hayley and I offer my congratulations while Chris just grunts. I start scanning the room, and see so many familiar faces. Sadness engulfs me as I realize that it has been so long since I have seen, much less talked to all of my old friends. Chris makes sure of that. I think he is afraid that I will have a good time without him; either that or he is insecure as hell. Whatever the case, I have not been allowed to have much contact with any of my old buddies in years. I want to go and great them, but Chris has a tight grip on my arm, guiding me to a far corner pretty much away from anyone. He is gripping me so hard it is almost stating to hurt. Then I saw him.

Tommy had not changed much since the last time I saw him at Trini's funeral. He had cut his hair short and wore it in spikes now, and he had grown a goatee, but other than that, he was the same old Tommy. I looked right at him and tried to communicate to him nonverbally that I wanted to talk to him. He must have seen that; or something else because his face went from looking shocked to worry in a matter of seconds. But as long as Chris was there, there would be no way I was going to get a chance to tell him that I was wrong, to apologize for the mistake of letting him go those many years ago, to ask for his help, and most of all, to tell him that I had finally realized that I still loved him.

**Tommy's POV:**

My entire world was turning upside down. As much as I wanted to hate Kim for that damn letter she sent, the site of her looking so miserable in the company of the man that was supposed to love and protect her banished all of those thoughts. Had she really left me for this guy?

_She is in so much pain. She wants me to help or am I just imagining things?_

It really did not matter, since judging by the way he was holding her, he would not be going anywhere anytime soon. I threw my hands up in frustration. I had to talk to her alone, if for no other reason than to hear why she left me for that ass. Just out of curiosity, I sized him up and wondered if I could take him in a fight. Sure, if things got ugly, Jason and about six other guys would come to help me, but I wanted to do this on my own if it came to that. Of course, this was supposed to be a party for my two best friends, so I did not want to do anything to ruin it if I could avoid it. Suddenly, I had an idea. I looked around for the first female I could find which happened to be Kat, and motioned her over. She left her spot on Jason's lap and came to see what I wanted.

"Kat, can you do me a favor?"

"I can try Tommy, what do you need?" I could tell that she already had an idea what I wanted judging by my expression.

"Can you go over to Kim and ask her to go to the bathroom with you? You know how you women always go there in groups."

Kat punched me on the arm, "Thomas Oliver that is so sexist! It's also true for the most part. What should I do when," she looked at how Kim's husband was still holding onto her even as they sat, "or should I say IF I get her in there?"

"I need to talk to her Kat, alone, and by the looks of it, it will not be here or tonight. I need you to tell Kim to meet me at the west side of the lake at Reefside Park at this time tomorrow night. Tell her if she cannot get away then, I will be at the same spot at the same time every night until she can."

"Wow Tommy, you really want to talk to her don't you?" Kat said in an impressed tone.

"You have no idea."

"I think I have a pretty good idea. Alright, I will do what I can."

Kat left and approached Kim and Chris. After a short exchange, I saw Kim leave with Kat and head toward the ladies room. Her husband did not look happy, but Kat must have seemed non threatening enough and he had let Kim go.

**General POV. Inside the ladies room:**

Kat had pulled Kim into the room and looked around to see if they were alone. Thankfully they were. Kim just laughed.

"What's with all this secrecy Kat? As glad as I am to see you and have you get me away from Chris for a few moments, this is not like you. So what's up?"

Before Kat responded, she took her old friend into her arms and hugged her tightly to her.

"God I have missed you Kim. I know we were not the best of friends and since I dated Tommy…"

Kim pulled away. "Forget about that Kat, I am so past that. I am just glad to see you and the others again. Chris keeps a pretty tight leash on me these days."

"I can tell, and I think that has something to do with my message from Tommy."

Kim's ears perked instantly. "Message from Tommy?"

"Yes, he knew that he of all people was not going to get anywhere near you tonight, so he sent me in to give you a message. I guess he thought that a woman would be less threatening."

Thinking of how her husband was, Kim nodded. "Yeah, but not much, so what is this message?"

"He wants to talk to you Kim, alone, and badly. He told me to tell you to meet him on the west side of the lake at Reefside part at this time tomorrow night, and if you could not get away then that he would be at that same spot at the same time every night until you could."

Kim almost collapsed. That was the Tommy that she remembered. The kind of person that would go out of his way to get his way and damn the consequences. It also told her that Tommy really wanted to talk to her, and she had a pretty good idea on what he wanted to talk about. It may not be a pretty talk, but it was one that she knew that they had to have. If nothing else, they could clear the air and get some closure in their lives. She did not think that they could ever be friends again, even if they both wanted it. Chris would make sure of that.

"Thank you for telling me Kat, really. I want to do this. Please tell Tommy that I will try to meet him tomorrow night. Chris has overnight duty again then, so it should be possible."

Kat nodded. "He still cares for you Kim."

"I don't know how he could Kat. I left him for a man that treats me like a second class citizen."

"You know Tommy as well as I do Kim. He has a loving spirit and a forgiving and kind heart. He will understand what you have to say, even if he does not like it. I also know this about him, he has always protected you and it has to kill him to see you in so much pain right now. I think given half a chance, he would happily beat Chris within an inch of his life for treating you the way that he has."

Kim looked her fellow former pink sister in the eye and said:

"If he did Kat, I would stand by and let him."

**General POV. Reefside Park; The following night:**

It was a cool night, so Tommy thrust his hands into the pockets of his black windbreaker as he paced nervously in front of the giant manmade lake in the park. He was as nervous as he had been in a long time. Kat had come back to him the night before to tell him that she had given Kim the message and that Kim had assured her that she would be here tonight. Still, Chris had looked mighty suspicious when he saw Kat go straight from his wife to Tommy. What if he deduced what had happened and tried to stop Kim from coming? Well, he would just be here every night until she did come. He had every bit of faith that his Crane would not let him down.

_MY Crane? Where did that come from? Do I still have feelings for her? No Tommy, she is married, therefore she is off limits! But she is unhappy!_

The inner battle that he was fighting with himself came to an abrupt halt as he heard footsteps behind him. He turned and saw Kim, dressed in pink sweatpants and a white windbreaker, and alone. They made eye contact again and awkwardly approached each other. For what seemed like hours, there was silence, each one not knowing what to say to the other. Finally, Tommy broke it.

"How are you're girls? Who Is looking after them now?" he had seen Kim's two daughters at Trini's funeral.

Kim, glad for some small talk first replied, "they are doing very well thank you. They seem to be growing more every day. I had to call our new babysitter in on short notice, but I don't think that Kira minded."

"Kira? Kira Ford?" asked Tommy, not quite believing his ears.

"Yes, that's her name. Why? Do you know her?"

"Yeah, she was one of my students last year, very good kid." He decided that now was not the time to tell her that she had also been a power ranger, or that he had been one again himself.

"That's right, you teach now. And yes, she is a wonderful girl and the kids love her. What a small world."

"Yeah."

Silence again. The tension in the air was so thick that Tommy doubted that any weapon that he had eve welded could cut through it.

"Kim I…"

"No, please let me start. I have to get this out, and you deserve to know. I am going to be brutally honest here. That letter was the single biggest mistake of my life."

He had a feeling that was what she was going to say, but it still made him a bit angry.

"Then why the hell did you write it?"

"Tommy please, please don't get upset with me, at least until I finish, then you can do whatever you want, but please let me finish.'

He nodded and indicated for her to continue.

"When I wrote you that letter, I was in the middle of some pretty intense training, and had little to no time for myself, much less you, seeing as you were so far away. I also knew that you were still involved with the rangers and I did not want to burden you with my problems when you quite literally had the world on your shoulders. I knew that if I told you that I was in pain that you would drop everything and come rushing to me. The rangers and the world would suffer and I told myself that I could not be that selfish. I knew that I had to set you free, not because I wanted to, but because I knew that you deserved a better life. I wanted you to be happy."

"My life was so much happier with you in it Kim. There is no one better than you for me."

Damn, he was making this harder. Still, she had to continue.

"Then Chris came along, and he was there when you were not. I think that was the final straw in me making my decision to break it off with you. I would not cheat on you, and I didn't. I did not start dating Chris until I sent the letter. And that Tommy, was the biggest of my mistakes."

"What do you mean Kim? Do you realize how long it took me to get over you? Hell. I am not sure that I am totally over you."

Now that threw her for a loop. He still cared for her?

"But the fact remains that you made a choice that day, and you married it. I have to know something though. Are you happy with him?"

Kim lowered her head, "No, and I haven't been for a long time," she whispered.

"I thought so. I could tell by the way you looked at me when you first came into the party last night." She looked so pitiful right now, the complete picture of misery, and despite not wanting to, knowing she was married; Tommy came over and took her in his arms. He was afraid to do it because he was sure that once he did, all of his old feelings for her would come to the surface again, and sure enough, that's exactly what happened. He just wanted to hold her, to protect her, to make sure that she was never hurt again. With great reluctance, he pulled away.

"I know how hard that must have been for you to tell me Kim, and I thank you for that. I forgive you for the pain and hurt that you caused me, and I also want to apologize to you for not coming to fight for you the second I got that letter."

"Tommy, you have nothing to be sorry for! It was my choice.'

"Still, if I had done that you would not be stuck in a marriage to man that does not love you.'

She knew she should defend Chris, but found that she could not. She took a deep hitching breath.

"Tommy, do you think that we can ever be the way we once were?"

He saw the tears in her eyes and said the words that he knew that he had to say, but still hurt him to his very soul.

"I would love that Beautiful but…"

Her sobs became louder as he called her by his pet name, as well as his use of the word "but".

"…but you are a married woman Kim, and I will not be a home wrecker. I will be as much as a friend to you as your husband will allow, but until you are single again, that's all I can and will be."

Tommy turned away and started walking towards his jeep, his heart breaking with every single step. He had done the right thing, he knew that, but he swore to himself that one day, he would find a way to be with her again.

Behind him, Kim had fallen into a heap on the cold ground; She was silently crying her eyes out. The one man that had ever loved her totally was now walking away from her, and she knew that he was right to do it.

**So, what did you think? I know it was a bit longer than the other chapters, but you guys deserve it. The next chapter will be posted Wednesday, so look forward to that. I can tell you this, this story will be like a lot of Tommy/Kim stories out there but a lot different in other ways. I look forward to writing the rest and having you guys along for the ride. As always, reviews make my day!**


	4. Chris and the girls

**Disclaimer**: I have never, nor will I ever own any part of Power Rangers, though the characters of Samantha, Rebecca, and Chris Travis are my own creations. This is just for pure fun.

**Summary:** Kim is married to the guy in "the letter" but she is miserable. Her husband ignores her mostly and she is stuck in the monotonous life of the suburban housewife. Is she stuck in this limbo forever, or can someone change her life for the better?

**Pairings:** Kim/OC, with mentions of Jason/Kat, Billy/Hailey, and Connor/Kira

**Time:** Post DT

A/N: kimtom4eva, yes, divorce would be the way to go, but you know I can't go down that road, at least not now!

A/N 2: The general thought is that Kim is a tough person to put up with all of Chris' crap. I agree, but I also know that the worse is yet to come, starting with this chapter. So read on and enjoy. Thank you all again for your awesome reviews!

**Chapter four: Chris and the girls**

**Tommy's home; soon after the meeting with Kim:**

Tommy had just arrived home after one of the hardest conversations of his life. He had told the love of his life that he did not want to have anything more than a friendship with her, and a friendship that would be limited at best.

It was a total and complete lie.

He had told her that he would not be the reason that her marriage ended, and that was true. For the first time in his life, Tommy cursed his morals. He ached to be with her, to hold her in his arms and to protect her against her husband or anything else that may harm her. He longed to kiss her, to make love to her, but life was not fair, he had a feeling that he would never again stroke that shiny brunette head or kiss those lips. So, he did what every man in his situation has done throughout time.

He started to drink.

He was halfway through his fourth bottle of Killian's Irish Red, and contemplating opening the bottle of whiskey in his top cupboard when there was a knock on his door. Slightly buzzed, he got up to answer it, even half hoping that it would be Kim staring back at him when he did so.

No such luck.

"Come on in guys, have a beer, or three," he said as he let in Adam, Jason, and Rocky. His attitude did not go unnoticed by his friends as they followed him into the kitchen. Adam was the first to speak.

"Jason told me that you had a meeting with Kim tonight. Are we to assume that that is the reason that you are drowning yourself in alcohol?" He looked around at the empty bottles, "and failing miserably I see."

"Isn't she always the reason?" Tommy said bitterly. "Every time I get into a mood like this it is usually because of something that Kim has done."

"The meeting did not go well?" asked Rocky, stating the obvious.

"No Rock, it did not go well. Well, it kind of did, but not really."

"Care to clarify bro?" asked Jason while opening a beer.

"She gave me the answers that I have been waiting ten years for. She apologized for hurting me. All of that is the good part. I also apologized to her for not fighting for her."

"That was your bad Tommy. If you had done that, it would be Kim here now instead of us." Supplied Adam sipping on his own beer.

"The worse part about all of this, the absolute WORSE part is that she is unhappy in her marriage…"

"Yeah, everyone can see that."

"Can I please finish Jason? Anyway, what I was saying is that she pretty much admitted that she was unhappy with whatshisname, and asked if there was a chance for us to be us again."

All three former rangers winced. It was now crystal clear why Tommy was drinking himself into oblivion. They all knew what kind of man he was, and he would sooner marry Divatox than to be the person that breaks up a marriage.

"So what are you going to do now?" asked Jason?"

Tommy just shrugged. "What can I do Jason? I am stuck. I told her that I would be as much as a friend to her as her husband will allow, which can't be much I assume."

"Then that is what you do Tommy. You be her friend, be there for her when her husband is not, but do not touch her or get romantically involved. If and when they break up, then you have your shot."

Tommy knew he was right, but it was so damn hard, and so not like him to stand back and not do anything. Still, if that was what had to be done, that is what he would do.

The silence was broken by Rocky, asking if Tommy had any food. Everyone, including Tommy laughed and he picked up the phone to order pizza. Tonight was going to be a guy's night.

**Kim's home; that night:**

Kim walked into her home after her meeting with Tommy in a daze. It had taken her a full half hour to recover from her mini emotional breakdown beside the lake. She had always cared for Tommy, but it was only recently, after seeing him again and seeing how he had changed over the past years that she realized something else.

She was still in love with Tommy Oliver.

But she was also married to Christopher Travis, and not only that, she had two children with him. Any problems with her and Chris and the girls would suffer, and Kim was a good mother and did not want to see that. Though something did have to change, she could not keep going on like this.

"Is there something wrong Mrs. Travis."

Kim had not seen Kira, the babysitter come into the living room.

"Um, yes, I am just a little tired. Are the girls alright?"

"Sure are. I just put them to bed not too long ago, I made them dinner and we played Candy Land, though I think Samantha cheated a little."

Kim laughed, that was her girl, win at all costs. She reached into her purse to pay Kira.

"Thank you again for coming in on short notice Kira, here is a little something extra for you. Kira protested mildly, but accepted the extra twenty anyway. She turned to leave, but turned back to Kim.

"If I may say so Mrs. Travis, you don't look so good. You should really go see someone and get some help."

Kim nodded as Kira left. Once she did, she fell on her couch and for the second time in two hours, she bawled her eyes out. Kira was right, though she did not know the complete reason. Kim did need help, and the only man that could give it to her wanted nothing more than a simple friendship from her.

Four hours later, Chris came home. The lights were still on in the living room and he told himself that he had to have a word with Kim about wasting electricity. Where was she anyway? He rounded the corner from the front entrance to the living room and saw his wife face up on the couch fast asleep with red eyes and a picture clutched in her arms. When he took a closer look, he saw it was a picture of her as a teenager with her high school boyfriend.

_So that's how things are. That slut has been cheating on me._

He chuckled at his thoughts; he did not think she had it in her. He left his wife laying there, not bothering to move her or even cover her. She had been upset, but he really did not care why. He went to the kitchen and pulled out his cell and dialed a number as he reached into the refrigerator to take a bottle of beer out. He took a swig as the voice on the other end answered.

"Karen? It's Chris. Yeah, she is out cold, want to see me tonight? Is that so? You have what on? That does it; I will be over in a few minutes. No, don't worry about them, they will keep. She will take care of them, she always does. Alright, see you soon. Love you. Bye."

He smiled to himself as he chugged the rest of his beer. His wife may be useless when it came to the bedroom games, but Karen Roberts certainly was not. Besides, she was cheating on him with that Tom guy. So he should not feel guilty about this. The fact that he had been cheating on her for the past six months did not seem to matter to him. Neither did the fact that he had no idea that his wife had been totally faithful to him.

His two adorable children were the furthest thing from his mind.

The streets of Reefside; two days later:

It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday, and Kim was taking advantage of the unusually mild September weather to get the girls out of the house. They had gone to the park, played on the playground, and fed the geese in the lake, and were now walking home down the main street in town. She had asked Chris if he wanted to go, but as expected, he had something more important to do. Something about a orthopedic conference.

_Funny, there have been a lot of those lately._ Kim thought.

She wondered for a brief moment if he was doing something else, but it slipped from her mind once she saw Hayley's café. She could really use a friendly face, and Hayley certainly qualified.

"Would you girls like to go in for a milkshake?"

The girls exclaimed that they would indeed, so the three women entered the cool air conditioned café. The place was almost empty as it seemed that most people were doing what Kim and her girls were doing and enjoying the weather. There were a few people sitting around in small groups, and Hayley herself was behind the bar. She was talking to someone seated at the bar, speaking in low whispers. She saw Kim and her family come in and with wide eyes spoke to the man in front of her who turned around to look Kim right in the eyes.

Tommy got off his seat and went to where Kim stood in shock.

"Hey Kim, how have you been?"

"F…fine Tommy. How are you?" Hating how inane it sounded in her head.

"I have been better, but I am sure that you understand."

She did, oh how she knew. She had a feeling that he was just as miserable as she was.

"And these must be your lovely daughters," he kneeled down so he was eye level to the girls.

"Hi, I'm Tommy. Who are you?"

Samantha looked up at her mother, silently asking if it was alright to talk to this strange man, she had been taught well by Kim to not talk to strangers. When Kim nodded, she answered.

"My name is Samantha, but you can call me Sam, everyone does. This is my little sister Rebecca."

"My name is Becky Samaaantah!" Becky said indignantly, and then she turned to Tommy and with all the dignity a six year old could muster…

"I am very pleased to meet you Tommy. Please excuse my sister, she sometimes forgets that I am smarter than her most of the time.'

Kim looked horrified, but Tommy was laughing heartily. "I can see that Becky, and it is a pleasure to meet you too, you as well Sam. You know, I teach other people about dinosaurs. Would you like me to tell you about them someday?"

"Oh yes!" exclaimed Becky. She was not exaggerating, she was the more book smart of the two sisters, and she happened to love dinosaurs. Sam gave her agreement as well.

"Good, I will talk to your mommy and maybe someday I can do that." He stood up. "Kim, would you three like to join me for milkshakes? My treat of course.'

"Chocolate!" said both girls at once.

Kim was in shock, she just nodded to Tommy and he took the girls over to a booth while telling Hayley their order.

"Are you coming Mommy?" yelled Sam?

Kim stood motionless for a second or two before walking over to where her daughters stood chatting with Tommy. One thought kept passing through her head.

_Oh what I would give for that man to be their father._

**I know that this chapter is a little short, but I wanted to give a little more insight on Chris' activities as well as showcase Sam and Becky and at the same time, have Tommy meet and interact with them for the first time. This is all leading to something, I promise, and it will not be pretty, but all that starts with the next chapter. Please rate and review, they rock my socks!**

_Teaser line from a future chapter: "I will fight. I will fight for them, and for you with every breath in my body."_


	5. Much needed support

**Disclaimer**: I have never, nor will I ever own any part of Power Rangers, though the characters of Samantha, Rebecca, and Chris Travis are my own creations. This is just for pure fun.

**Summary:** Kim is married to the guy in "the letter" but she is miserable. Her husband ignores her mostly and she is stuck in the monotonous life of the suburban housewife. Is she stuck in this limbo forever, or can someone change her life for the better?

**Pairings:** Kim/OC, with mentions of Jason/Kat, Billy/Hailey, and Connor/Kira

**Time:** Post DT

A/N: Sorry for the late update. I have been sick for the past few days with a stomach virus. Thankfully though, the plot stayed in me, which is more than I can say for everything else! A warning, this chapter contains a pretty dark scene, so if violence offends you, I do apologize.

**Chapter five: Much needed support**

**Hayley's Cyber space café:**

For the first time in a very long time, Kim was relaxed and content. Here she was sitting in a café sipping on tea while her girls devoured chocolate milkshakes and _Tommy_ of all people was sitting across from her talking small talk with her daughters. She felt as though she had to pinch herself to make sure that this was real, but there was the proof right in front of her in all his glory, tight chest, defined abs and all.

_Damn he looks good. If anything he has only improved with age._

She knew that she was staring at him like a horny schoolgirl, but she really did not care. After being denied so much as a loving glance from a man for the past few years, Kim felt as though she was a starving woman staring at a four course dinner. Tommy must have noticed her look.

"Samantha, would you take your sister and ask Miss. Haley nicely if she can help you get a game started on that computer?" he said pointing at a laptop set up across the room. Sam asked her mother if that would be alright.

Kim, sensing that Tommy wanted to talk to her alone, gave her permission, and Sam eagerly led her younger sister over to where Hayley sat. The redhead smiled in Tommy's direction and happily got the two sisters started on a game, even getting as involved with it as they were. Kim was still staring at Tommy as he turned back to her, still smiling at the girls.

"See something you like?" he joked.

_If only you knew just how much._

Those were Kim's thoughts, but she decided to hold back on that, at least for now. She just blushed.

"Those are some wonderful kids you have Kim."

Kim sighed and took another sip of her tea before continuing.

"Thank you. They are wonderful, most of the time, Though Sam is starting to show certain traits of her father, and that I defiantly do not like.'

"What do you mean?"

"Things like talking back to me, being stubborn, and wanting her own way all of the time."

Tommy thought long and hard before he asked the next question on his mind.

"Was he like that when you married him?"

Somehow, Kim knew that question was going to come up sooner or later. As a result, she was prepared.

"No, he really wasn't. He was charming, funny, and treated me like I was the most important thing in the world. I think that he knew what he was doing. I resisted him at first, telling him that I had a serious boyfriend back home, but that did not seem to stop him."

"I would have stopped him," growled Tommy, hating the fact that Kim was being so aggressively pursued when he could not be there to protect her.

"I know you would have Tommy, and in hindsight, I wish I would have told you about him when it first started. Maybe we could have avoided a lot of things. But I thought that I could handle him for myself, and then, then I don't know. Suddenly I started to realize you were busy saving the world and would give up so much to be with me. I could not ask you to do that. I could not be that selfish. I already felt bad enough for leaving you in the first place so I could go after my dreams. Maybe it was Chris getting into my head finally, but the final straw was when I realized that I had to let you go, so you could stop thinking about me and start thinking about the world, and yourself for once. But, like I said the other night; that was the single worst mistake of my life.'

"I understand your logic Kim, I really do. But you have to know that I would have dropped everything to be with you. I would have waited Kim, I would have waited until you had realized your dream and my job with the rangers was done, then we could have been together, but instead, you had to let him get into your head."

He was bitter, and who could blame him?

"I deserve that. All I can say is that I am sorry."

Upon hearing her tone, Tommy softened a little.

"Look, I am sorry I spoke that way, but I lost nearly twelve years with you, that is time that I will never get back. And the shittiest part is that if things continue the way that they are, I will lose even more years with you!"

"What about me in all this Tommy? All I have heard is how bad off you are. What about me? Does it matter to you that I am trapped in a loveless marriage? Do you care that the man that pledged to love me for better or for worse has not touched me in almost a year?" Kim had started to cry now, fighting to control it so her girls would not see her this way.

Damn, she was right; he had not given all of those things much thought, only on how much she had hurt him. He handed her a napkin so she could wipe her eyes, then moved around so he was sitting next to her. He thought about his next move very carefully, but then decided the hell with it, and put his arm around her. Instantly, her head was on his chest. Considering the circumstances, they both should have been worried about being seen by one of Chris' friends, or even worse, by Kim's husband himself, but neither of the former rangers seemed to know or even care about that possibility.

"Can't you just leave him, get a divorce?" Tommy whispered. The solution seemed simple to him. But then again, he had never been married.

"I could, but Chris has some very influential friends. Not only that, he is vindictive as hell. As soon as I started divorce proceedings, he would take everything from me, including my daughters. He hardly ever speaks to them, but he would take them from me simply because I love them. I would have nothing Tommy, and nowhere to go."

Tommy seethed, wondering what kind of man would do that to his own children.

"That's not true Kim, you would have me."

Kim, her heart a puddle of goo, started to cry again. Tommy had just given her what she had wanted him to give her that night next to the lake, though he did not know it yet.

"I need my daughters Tommy!"

"Shhhhh, its ok Beautiful. We will figure something out, together."

Tommy's resistance was breaking down, and his reasoning was telling him that he was not being a home wrecker. How could he break a home that was already broken? All he needed to do was to see that Kim and her children were protected, which he would do gladly.

"Don't worry Kim. I will fight for them. I will fight for you. I will fight for all of you with every breath in my body."

Kim lifted her head from his chest and looked him in the eyes.

"Do you really mean that Tommy?" Her voice betrayed the hope that she felt building in her heart.

"I really do. But I have to ask you this. Do you want it? Do you want to leave your husband and go through what could be years of emotional hell?"

"Before I answer, can I ask you a question?"

Tommy nodded.

"Will you be with us through the entire process? Because I cannot do this alone."

"I already answered that I believe," Tommy joked, "but I will say it again. You and your girls will not go through this alone. I will be here through everything. Whatever you need, consider it done."

Kim thought that her heart would explode from the emotion.

"Thank you Tommy, that does really mean so much to me. And, you have to know, that I still love you. I don't think that I really stopped."

"The same goes for me Beautiful. I love you too, but we have to be careful with this. If Chris is like you say that he is, if he or anyone he knows has that kind of information, it could really hurt you in the courtroom, and your kids might suffer."

Kim knew he was right, though it was going to be hell to restrain herself from this man for so long, but still, some things were worth waiting for, She straightened up and cleaned up her face. Today had been an emotional roller coaster, though she would not trade it for the world. So much had been cleared, most of which was Kim's own mind, she now knew what she had to do. She called Sam and Becky over to the table and told them that it was time to go.

"Aww mom! Do we have to?" whined Sam.

"Afraid so missy, say goodbye to Tommy."

"Goodbye Tommy" chorused the girls.

"Goodbye girls. I am sure that I will see you again soon. Don't forget, I have lots of cool dinosaur stuff to show you."

"Do you promise or are you just telling us that to shut us up?" wondered Becky innocently.

Again, Kim stood mortified, but Tommy was laughing.

"It's more than a promise little Bronto, that's a guarantee."

Becky loved her new name and showed it by running up and giving Tommy a tight hug. He had to fight the tears coming to his own eyes as he returned the embrace.

_He does not deserve any of them. This child is something special. I would happily be the father that she never had._

Becky finally let go of Tommy and joined her mother and sister. Tommy, his infamous memory kicking in, finally remembered something. He grabbed a pen out of his pocket and scribbled something on a napkin.

"Oh, before you go Kim, here is my address and phone number, just in case you need it."

Kim accepted the napkin and tucked it safely inside her hip pocket just before giving Tommy a longing look and heading out of the café. She wanted so bad to kiss him goodbye, but knew that she could not, at least not now.

_Soon though, soon I will be free and my white knight will be totally mine again_.

This was the thought that made Kim hum a happy tune as she headed home with her girls.

**Kim's home; that the next night:**

Kim had just taken a shower and was getting ready for bed. Sam and Becky had just been put to bed a half hour ago. Becky asked again when she would be allowed to go to Tommy's house to see all his cool dinosaur stuff. Kim had promised her that they would go soon, perhaps the following weekend. This had pleased the little girl immeasurably and she had gone to bed without a fuss, which was a rarity these days.

She was humming a happy tune while brushing her hair, thinking about the previous day's events. She had made up her mind that she was going to leave Chris. It had been coming for a long time, and it might have never happened had it not been for Tommy. His strength was what was giving her the power to do this. She would have still done it eventually, but it would not have been this soon.

She was thinking on just how she was going to do this, when Chris walked into their bedroom. The smell in the air told her that it was going to be a long night.

_Great, he has been with her again. _

Her husband reeked of perfume and sex. Usually he did a pretty good idea of hiding it, but lately he had been getting lazier in covering up the smell.

"Have a good night Chris?" she asked, trying to hide the coolness in her voice.

He said nothing, just grunted and headed toward the shower. She was feeling frisky tonight, and not the same kind of frisky she felt around Tommy. She followed him into the bathroom.

He had taken off his shirt and the nail marks on his back were there for the world to see.

"So, how is Karen tonight?"

The use of his mistress' name coming out of his wife's mouth shocked Chris. How did she know? Kim read the look perfectly.

"Oh, I suppose you are wondering how I knew the whore's name. It was easy Chris. I had a feeling things were going that way when you were going away from the house more and more, not to mention your odd hours. Call it a wife's intuition. Then, you really smell of her cheap ass perfume and um, sex. You have been getting lazy Chris; you usually do a better job of covering it up. And finally, what gave it totally away and gave a name to your other woman was the note from her that I found in your pants while doing laundry last night."

She shook her head. "You really did a piss poor job of hiding your infidelity. It's a wonder I did not catch on earlier. I guess I just wanted to believe that my husband loved me and wanted to be with me forever. Whatever was I thinking?"

She turned and went back into the bedroom. "Oh, and one more thing Chris. Expect divorce papers from me in the next few days. I am taking the girls and getting the hell away from you!"

In a display of speed that she did not think possible, Chris was in front of her and in her face.

"You hypocritical bitch! So what if I have been having a little fun on the side? You have been sleeping with that ex of yours! Oh Yes! Know all about what you have been doing with Tommy. So you can accuse me all you want little miss perfect, but look at yourself before you start accusing me!"

Kim was stunned, she did not expect this. What had Chris seen to make him make such an accusation?

"Chris, I have no idea what you saw or heard that made you THINK that I have been sleeping with Tommy, but nothing could be further from the truth. I have been totally and completely faithful to you and only you for the past eleven years, which is more than I can say for you!"

"Oh yes Kim, I am such a bad husband, you have suffered so much while married to me. I mean, it must be hell to have four credit cards, a four bedroom house, and a closet full of designer clothes. What a dick I am!" Chris said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Yes Chris, I do have those things, but what I have not had was a husband who would look at me as though he gave a damn! You can take all that other shit, all I want is a husband who loves me!"

"I fell out of love with you ten years ago Kim. All this time I have been looking for someone better, and I finally found her. So go ahead, file for divorce. I will ensure that you are left with nothing, including the girls."

His revelation hurt her, badly. She had no idea that he had felt that way for so long.

"What do you care about those girls? They are just tax write offs for you! Do you think for a second that that whore will be a better mother to them than me?"

"Well, she is better than you in every other way, so I don't see why not."

"Get out! I don't want you near me or near those girls!"

"This is my house! I pay the mortgage, not you slut!"

"I don't care! Get away from…"

Kim did not finish her thought. Without warning, Chris slapped her hard on the right side of her face, making her crumble to the ground. She was stunned, and her face was starting to swell, but she was going to make a fight out of this. She saw him coming toward her again, and when he got close enough, she raised her left leg hard, connecting between his legs. As he crumbled to the ground in pain, she stood up shakily and slapped him across the face.

"Don't you ever raise a hand to me again Chris Travis. It will be the last mistake you ever make."

Chris said nothing; he just pulled himself off the floor, wiped the blood from his face and attacked.

Kim went down in a heap again, and this time, she did not get up.

Samantha was scared. She had just fallen asleep when loud voices had waken her up. It took a few moments, but she soon recognized those voices of her parents. Oddly enough, she did not worry at first, her mommy and daddy had done this before.

But then there came a sound that was not normal. It was the sound of hitting. She knew because she had slapped her sister a few times, but never that hard. This was when Sam started to get really scared, so she wrapped herself in her blanket and huddled against the wall against her bed.

Then, her mommy screamed in pain. Samantha started to cry then, but silently, because for the first time in her young life, Samantha Travis was terrified of her father. Her mommy needed her, but she would not go to help her until she was sure that her daddy had gone away.

She waited, and waited, and waited some more. When some time had gone by and she had heard nothing but silence, she dared to get out of bed and peak out of her door. Seeing nothing, she crept down the hall toward her parent's bedroom. Once there, she saw no sign of her daddy, which relieved her, but there was her mommy, on the floor, and she was not moving.

Samantha screamed.

Kim came awake with a start.

_Why is Samantha screaming? Isn't she supposed to be in bed?_

Strangely enough, these were Kim's thoughts as she came back to consciousness. She tried to stand up, but found that she did not have the power to do so. Why was Samantha screaming? Then, the flood of memories came back to her. Gingerly, she touched her face and instantly pulled back as the pain hit. She guessed her face was one swollen lump, and judging by the hard time she was having breathing, a few ribs were sure to be broken. No wonder her child was screaming. Her mother looked like a monster. Kim had the idea that her oldest knew that it really was a monster that did this.

"Sam honey, don't worry. Please stop screaming. I know this looks bad, but mommy will be fine. But honey, I need your help. Can you help mommy?"

Sam had stopped screaming, but still had tears on her cheeks. She nodded at her mother's request.

"Good, that's my big girl." Kim spit out a tooth as well as some blood as she dragged herself over to Sam.

"Is your father still here?"

Sam shook her head. She was terrified right now and did not trust herself to speak. She had never seen her mother like this before, and she had no idea what to think.

"Good. Listen baby, we need to get your sister and get out of here. Go get Becky, and gather some clothes and other personal items for the two of you and be ready to go in ten minutes."

"What about you mommy?"

"Don't worry about me honey. Just see to yourself and Becky please."

Sam nodded and hurried off to her task. Once she was gone, Kim dragged herself to the bedside table to find her cell phone. Once she found it, she dialed information and got the number to a cab company. They might ask questions about her state, but she would pay them enough to shut up and not take her to a hospital. There was only one safe place for her now, and Reefside general was defiantly not it.

**Tommy's home; 10:00 that night:**

Tommy laughed. Jason and Adam had come over a few hours earlier and the three decided that a night spent with a few beers, a pizza, and Monty Python movies would be a night well spent. While waiting for the pizza to arrive, Tommy had taken Jason aside and told him of his conversation with Kim the day before. While he was happy for his two friends, Jason cautioned Tommy to be careful; he could be getting into a lot more than he thought that he was. Tommy had assured him that he knew what he was doing. The pizza had arrived and the conversation was forgotten for the moment.

"Man, it's too bad Rocky isn't here. This shit is right up his alley." Tommy said gesturing to the TV.

"That's true bro, the ape man does have a certain taste shall we say for the cheesy. But he had to go and ditch us for a girl." Jason said feigning disgust at the thought that their friend would rather spend a night with a woman than with his best friends.

"Yeah, but Aisha is probably the only woman on the planet that can put up with his crap," Adam said before belching loudly.

Just then, there came a loud knocking at the door. Tommy announced that he would get it, and left his two best friends to continue talking about Rocky's habits. Nothing in the world could have prepared him for the site that met him at the threshold of his home. Samantha and Rebecca stood there dressed in night clothes and tiny suitcases next to them, but what shocked him the most was the woman that they flanked. It was Kim, or someone he thought might have been Kim at one time. Her face was one swollen discolored lump caked with dried blood. She held her side with one hand that told Tommy that she may have some internal injuries as well. The two kids looked like they were not hurt, at least not physically, but from the looks on their faces, they were hurting bad emotionally. He put two and two together and rage filled his body.

_That bastard! If it's the last thing I do, I will kill him, flat out end his life_.

He quickly realized that he had to do something and soon. There were two other former rangers in his home that could, and would assist him in beating the holy hell out of Chris, but right now, he needed their help with other things, mainly the three women on his doorstep. He reached out to help Kim, but before he could touch her, Kim moaned.

"Tommy, please……"

She collapsed into his arms. He caught her easily of course, and then yelled into his home.

"Jason! Adam! I need you guys in here now!"

**Wow! I told you that this would be intense! Sorry for that scene, but I promise that that is the last really dark chapter of this story. What will become of Kim? What will happen to Chris after what he did? And more importantly, who will get to Chris first? Jason or Tommy? Let me know! As always, don't forget those rates and reviews!**


	6. Bruises heal

**Disclaimer**: I have never, nor will I ever own any part of Power Rangers, though the characters of Samantha, Rebecca, and Chris Travis are my own creations. This is just for pure fun.

**Summary:** Kim is married to the guy in "the letter" but she is miserable. Her husband ignores her mostly and she is stuck in the monotonous life of the suburban housewife. Is she stuck in this limbo forever, or can someone change her life for the better?

**Pairings:** Kim/OC, with mentions of Jason/Kat, Billy/Hailey, and Connor/Kira

**Time:** Post DT

A/N: Wow, that last chapter really stirred up some serious Chris hate! Not that I am at all surprised and agree with everything said! How will Tommy and the rest deal with all of this? Read on to find out!

A/N 2: I have to give a huge thanks to my new beta reader kimtom4eva. Thanks to her keeping me on my toes, this story will get even better!

**Chapter six: Bruises heal**

How did it come to this? What had happened to make this surreal series of events unfold and end right here on Tommy's doorstep? It did not really matter now; all that mattered was seeing that Kim and her two precious girls were safe and protected. He had called Jason and Adam into the room as soon as Kim had fallen into his arms. He needed their help now more than ever. Especially Adam's, he had just started this third year as an emergency room intern. It was just lucky that he was here, he did not want to get her anywhere near a hospital anytime soon, considering that HE worked there.

_Let her heal a bit physically and emotionally before we take that step._

Adam and Jason came running into the front room, hearing the urgency in Tommy's voice.

"What's up bro? What the hell? Kim?"

"Yeah Jase, it's Kim, she is hurt pretty bad and those girls with her look scared out of their mind. Can you take care of them please? Adam, can you take a look at her please?"

Without hesitation, Adam took Kim in his arms and carried her to the couch where he could look her over, with Tommy following close behind. Jason was shaken, seeing his "sister" in that state did not sit well with him and he vowed to pay back the bastard that did that too her a hundredfold. Still, he had a job to do and he set about doing it.

He went to where Kim's two daughters still stood rooted to their spots on the front step. This was a new place for them and they were not sure what to do. Their mom was hurt and that more than anything accounted for their tear stained faces. Jason's heart immediately went out to them as he knelt down in front of them.

"Hi. My name is Jason. What are yours?"

Neither girl spoke for a few seconds, until Samantha broke the silence.

"My name is Samantha and this is my sister Rebecca. Is my mom going to be ok sir?"

"Yes she is honey, I promise you that. Me and your mom's friends are going to do everything we can to make sure that she is. Would you like to come in and put your bags down? Maybe have some juice or something?"

They were both still scared. Jason had warmed them up a bit, but there was still fear there.

"Hey, I promise you, you are safe here. No one here will hurt you and I am pretty certain that everyone here will also protect you." He dropped his voice to an exaggerated whisper "And I am sure that Tommy has some cookies in here somewhere too."

That did it. Both girls smiled and came into the house. Jason took their bags and placed them in the entranceway. He would take them to whatever room Tommy gave them later. For now, they needed the comfort that only cookies and juice could provide.

Kim was still unconscious as Adam gave her an examination, Tommy hovering over him. Finally, he finished and turned to Tommy.

"Well?"

"Without x rays Tommy I can only make a guess. But from what I can see and feel she has two black eyes, at least two broken ribs, and a broken nose. Not to mention the bruises. The good news is that I do not think that there are any facial fractures and I can set the nose and rib with the stuff I have in my medical bag.'

Tommy gave a sigh of relief "Then why did she pass out?"

Adam smiled "You have always had that effect on her." When Tommy gave him a glare, Adam gave a more serious answer "To be honest, there is no medical reason why she did it. I think its because she was so worried about getting herself and her girls to safely that when she did that, she just let go and passed out. She should wake up soon."

"Can I move her?"

Adam nodded. "But be careful Tommy."

"I will. Hey, can you do me another favor?" Adam nodded.

"Can you call Hayley and let her know what happened. I don't know why, but I think it would be best to have a female around just in case. Kim may trust us, but she is going to have a very hard time trusting other men after this."

"Good point. I'll call now."

"Thanks man, for everything."

"Think nothing of it Tommy. That's our Kim there. I would do anything in the world for her, you know that."

Tommy nodded, and went over to pick up Kim tenderly. He carried her slowly and deliberately to his own bedroom. He wanted her to be as comfortable as possible. He was passing by the kitchen when he glanced in and saw Jason and the two girls bonding over Oreos and grape juice. He smiled and motioned for Jason to come over, which he did.

"Is she…."

"Adam said she is going to be fine man. He is just going to call Hayley and Billy and set her broken nose and ribs. Can you settle the girls in the bedroom next to mine and then meet me in the hallway?"

"Sure, but…"

"Please Jason."

Jason saw how this series of events had affected his best friend and nodded. If he knew him, Chris was in for a world of hurt.

A few moments later, Tommy laid Kim down on his bed and held her hand as he stroked her hair. That face, so hurt, he would love her no matter what she looked like of course; and the bruises would heal, but what about the emotional ones.

"I failed you Beautiful. I am supposed to protect you and I let you fall into his hands. I swear to you, he will never hurt you or your daughters again. I will die before that happens." He whispered.

"No."

Tommy jerked his head up. Kim was awake and speaking.

"What was that Beautiful?"

Through cracked and swollen lips, Kim spoke again.

"No, this is not your fault Tommy. Chris did this on his own, so don't blame yourself. I am just glad that we made it here."

"You are safe now; forever.'

Kim smiled. "I know….Handsome. I have always felt safe with you. Why do you think that I came here?" She started to cry. Tommy climbed into his bed and put his arms around her, seeking to comfort her.

"Why Tommy? Why did he do this to me? I just told him that I wanted to leave him and he just….went off. I am so sorry, so sorry, so sorry."

Kim kept repeating how sorry she was while sobbing and rocking in his arms.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Kim. The blame is totally his. What kind of man does this to the woman that he loves? What kind of man does this to a woman period? I meant what I said Kim, I will protect you, forever if you want it."

"I do want it Tommy. I need it."

"Then you can stay here as long as you want; you and the girls."

"Thank you so much Tommy. You don't have to do this. You could be dragged into a lot of stuff, you don't need that."

"I told you before Beautiful. I am aware of the risks and I will go through them willingly, all because I love you so much."

"I love you too Tommy. Please forgive me for not coming to my senses sooner."

"You don't have to ask, I forgive you now and always."

Kim smiled as she heard those words and then drifted off back to sleep. Tommy waited to make sure that she was out of it, and then got up. He met Jason in the hall.

"The girls are in their room and in bed, though I doubt that they will sleep much."

Tommy nodded, he had though as much. "Look Jase, I need you to look after Kim for a bit, I need to go somewhere."

"You are going after him aren't you?"

Tommy said nothing, but over ten years of friendship made Jason pretty good at reading his body language.

"You can't Tommy." He said simply.

"And why not Jason? That bastard just beat the hell out of her, your best friend may I remind you and you are telling me NOT to go after him?"

"Calm down and think about it bro. If YOU go after him and beat him, when it comes time to the divorce trial and custody battle, how do you think it's going to look when it comes up that the plaintiff's boyfriend had beaten up her husband while they were still married?"

Tommy started to protest, but Jason just held up his hand. "I know that he beat her first, but you have to understand how these things work. Right now, you need to just lay low, take care of Kim and let others do the dirty work."

Tommy smiled, knowing what his friend was getting at. "You always did like the dirty work."

"You know it. I will be right back, and while I am gone, you may want to call Skull."

Tommy laughed. "I still can't believe that that guy ever got into law school, much less practicing law."

No one could believe it when Skull had gotten into law school and got his law degree. He was now working on becoming a partner at one of the biggest law firms in Reefside. Bulk however, had gone in the opposite direction and was serving three to five years for trying to rob a liquor store. Skull had tried to defend his friend, but all he could manage was to lighten his sentence.

"Anyway, let him know what is going on here. He will be more than willing to help Kim out. Hell, after tonight, I might need him too."

Tommy hugged his best friend. "Be careful man."

"I always am." Jason quipped before making his way down the stairs and out the front door. Tommy headed back into the bedroom to look after Kim. He was soon joined by Adam with his bag and Hayley. She and Tommy took seats on either side of the bed and watched Adam do his thing. It was going to be a long night.

Five miles away, Chris Travis was sitting in a bar across the street from the  
hospital where he worked and working on his fifth martini. He had come here after he had taught that cheating slut a lesson and left her lying on the floor of their bedroom. He did not know if she was alive, and found himself not really caring if she was or not. If she died, he could get away with no jail time. Money and powerful friends would make sure of that. Also, the added perk would be that he could finally be free of Kim and be with Karen. The girls he could care less about. He would either find a relative to shovel them off to or invest in a boarding school.

Slightly buzzed, he got up and decided to see if he could get a hold of Karen this late. He paid his tab and walked on slightly steady legs toward the front door.

Outside of the bar, Jason was waiting in his car. He had asked around at the  
hospital and found out that Chris had been seen heading into this bar a few  
hours before so all he had to do was wait. Finally, he saw him walking out of  
the bar. He recognized him from the party, so he was sure that it was the right person.

He waited until he was away from the building and near his car before he made his move. Chris was about to unlock his car when he was shoved to the ground from  
behind. His assailant said nothing, just landed on top of him and started  
raining blows onto his face. Chris felt his nose shatter and at least two teeth leave his mouth. He tried to fight back, but his attacker was heavier than him and had him pinned to the pavement. Finally, he was released and was about to get up when he was kicked four times in the side, adding broken ribs to his injuries. His eyes watered in pain so when he looked at his attacker, all he saw was a blur.

"Now you know how she feels." These were the last words he heard as he began  
to lose consciousness. He could barely make out the figures in hospital  
scrubs running towards him. While he hadn't seen who attacked him, he had a  
pretty damn good idea who was behind it. His last thought before the world  
around him faded to black was of revenge and how he would repay one Tommy  
Oliver and all of his friends.

It was an exhausted group that sat in Tommy's living room the following morning. Kim and her daughters were still asleep, after having just spent one of the least restful nights of their life. Jason was sleeping on the couch, having returned from his errand hours before, only telling Tommy that the situation was handled. Hayley was laying on the loveseat with her head in Billy's lap. She had spent about two hours talking with Kim after Adam had done his thing, giving her the kind of talk and comfort that only a woman could provide. Tommy and Adam were both sitting on the floor in front of the couch, both showing the effects of a night without sleep.

Skull had called Tommy back a hour before telling him that he was more than happy to give Kim his services for free. He would be there within the hour to get Kim's side of what happened. He also told Tommy that he should get the police involved as well. Tommy was hesitant about this at first, but eventually gave in to Skull's professional judgment. At least this way Kim would only have to tell her story once, and anything that made things easier on her was alright with Tommy.

Suddenly, there was a loud and constant knocking at the door. Tommy got up and headed to get it.

"That must be Skull. I swear that that man has never been accused of being suble."

But when Tommy opened the door, it was not Skull's smiling face he saw, but one that made him instantly boil with anger.

"Where are you keeping my wife?" Chris Travis stood less than a foot from Tommy and from the looks of it, was not going anywhere anytime soon.

Ooooh! How did Chris find out where Tommy lived? I guess you will have to wait until the next chapter to find out! 

**As always, please rate and review. You guys are pretty much awesome!**


	7. Legalities

**Disclaimer**: I have never, nor will I ever own any part of Power Rangers, though the characters of Samantha, Rebecca, and Chris Travis are my own creations. This is just for pure fun.

**Summary:** Kim is married to the guy in "the letter" but she is miserable. Her husband ignores her mostly and she is stuck in the monotonous life of the suburban housewife. Is she stuck in this limbo forever, or can someone change her life for the better?

**Pairings:** Kim/OC, with mentions of Jason/Kat, Billy/Hailey, and Connor/Kira

**Time:** Post DT

A/N: Forgive me for the lateness of this update. I had to fly out unexpectedly to Spokane to take care of some family business. The first half of this was written on a plane somewhere between New York and Denver.

A/N 2: As always, much thanks to my beta "Danielle". Thanks for keeping the words flowing and the mistakes few!

**Chapter seven: Legalities**

"_Where are you keeping my wife?" Chris Travis stood less than a foot from Tommy and from the looks of it, was not going anywhere anytime soon._

**Flashback:**

Chris had just gotten back from the hospital after having his injuries taken  
care of in a relatively short time. Reputation did have its privileges. He had  
gotten seen ahead of the other unfortunate souls that were still waiting in  
the emergency room and it had very little to do with the severity of his  
injuries.

It was now nearly eight o'clock in the morning and he was coming home to an  
empty house which really did not surprise him. He knew his wife and gave her  
at least a little credit, after the beating he had given her, he did not blame  
her in the least for getting as far away from him as she could and taking  
Becky and Samantha with her. If he was honest with himself, he really did not  
care for any of them, not even his daughters. Hell, they had lost their appeal  
as soon as they got too "needy", and Kim, well Kim had lost her appeal  
long before that.

That did not mean that he would not go and bring them back.

That was his number one goal, get them and bring them back. If  
that bitch thought she was going to leave him, she had another thing coming.  
He may not love his family, but no one was going to have them if he wasn't.

He knew where they were of course. It was so obvious that she had fled to that thug Tommy's house. Kim was a lot of things, and predictable was at the top of that list. As he was wondering where he might go to find where Tommy lived, he went to his bedroom to shower and change. He chuckled to himself as he saw the traces of Kim's blood that had fallen on the carpet.

_I really got her good. I really did not mean to go that far, but oh well; at least she learned her lesson. _

He took a scalding hot shower and was pulling a blue sport shirt over his head, when a scrap of paper laying on the floor near the nightstand caught his eyes. Judging by the faint bloodstains on it, Kim had recently handled it. Curious, he picked it up.

Tommy

2089 Valencia Rd.

555-5671

Chris smiled as he crumbled the paper in his right hand.

"Bingo. That whore and her thug boyfriend are mine now."

Deciding that he would make a trip to Valencia Rd, he picked up the phone and called the police.

**End flashback**

A host of emotions were flooding though Tommy. Standing before him was the man responsible for not only hurting who he quickly was realizing was the love of his life, but from all reports, made her life miserable for the past eleven years as well. It took every ounce of discipline learned through years of martial arts training to keep from seriously hurting the man where he stood. Taking a few moments to calm himself, he spoke.

Your family? I am surprised that you even remember you have one? Haven't you been more interested in cheating on your wife for the past few years?"

Chris, looking equally enraged, spoke through clenched teeth.

"My personal life is none of your business. Now I want Kim and my girls brought right here to me now!" he chuckled.

"It really does not matter you know. I called the police before coming over here. I know it was you that assaulted me last night and I will see that you do some hard time. So, either way, Kim will be home within the hour. How does that make you feel Tommy boy?"

Before Tommy could answer two uniformed police officers appeared behind Chris. Tommy recognized one of them and his face split into a wide grin.

"You may have to rethink the situation _Chris_. What's up Rocko?"

Rocky DeSantos, former red ranger and current sergeant of the Reefside police department gave his former ranger a grin.

"What the hell have you gotten yourself into this time Tommy?"

Tommy pointed at Chris. "This is Kim's husband. He is here looking for her. Yes, she is here," he said at Rocky's upraised eyebrow, "she came here last night with her two daughters after he beat her to unconsciousness."

"You can't prove that! She is telling him this crap and he is sticking up for her just so she can take my girls!"

"Maybe he can't prove it, but I can."

Until she spoke, no one had seen Kim come down the stairs and into the front  
room. She still looked unsteady, but was holding onto the railing. Reaching the bottom step, she allowed herself to be steadied by Tommy who had come over to assist her. The bruises and lumps on her face were still there, and if anything, they had gotten more colorful overnight.

Rocky took one look at the former pink ranger and his heart broke, followed quickly by anger.

"Are you willing to press charges Kim?"

Kim hesitated for a few seconds, but then slowly nodded her head. That was all that Rocky needed. He reached up and put his hand on Chris' arm.

"You are going to have to come with us sir." Rocky read Chris his rights and Chris said that he understood them. Rocky's partner was about to put on the handcuffs when Chris turned back to Tommy.

"Speaking of pressing charges, I am more than willing to press charges against that man."

"I ask again Tommy, what did you do this time?" Rocky inquired sighing.

"He thinks that I beat him for what he did to Kim."

Rocky silently congratulated whoever it was that did beat Chris and wished it was himself.

"You can lie all you want Tom, but I know it was you!"

Again, before Tommy could reply, Jason appeared with his arms outstretched.

"Wrong again asshole, it was me that beat the piss out of you, and I am glad that I did it. Take me Rocko."

Rocky shook his head and started to cuff Jason while reading his rights. He did not want to do this, but his job dictated the he do what was tearing him up inside. As he finished clicking the cuffs on, he leaned over and whispered in Jason's ear.

"Don't worry about anything Jason. I'll make sure that you are well taken care of until the others can get you out." Jason just nodded and allowed Rocky to lead him away. Rocky turned to have a word with Tommy.

"I obviously cannot get too involved with this, seeing as what my job is,  
but trust me, I will do the best I can to help, in whatever way I can. But I would  
advise you to get a lawyer as soon as possible." "Already done man, Skull should be on his way shortly."

Rocky nodded and turned to go back to his police cruiser. When everyone had left, Tommy turned his attention back to Kim who had gone quite, though she was still clinging to him. He hugged her tightly to him and told her without saying a word that he was there for her, and he was not going anywhere. When the moment had passed, he picked her up and carried her back to his bedroom.

An hour later, Kim was resting back on Tommy's bed with Tommy sitting next to her holding her hand. Hayley was also there, sitting on a chair in the corner. Samantha and Rebecca were being looked after by Aisha who had been called in a few moments before.

Also in the room and looking very unlike his high school self, was one Eugene "Skull" Skullovich. He had arrived about fifteen minutes after the arrests and had gotten immediately to work. He had gotten over his crush on Kimberly, but seeing her in the state she was currently in not only broke his heart, but made him resolve to see that she was protected legally as much as he was able.

He stopped his pacing in front of the bed and kneeled in front of Kim and Tommy.

"I have got to be honest with you two. From what you have both told me, though this is a clear cut case of domestic assault, Chris most likely will not stay in jail for long."

"What?!" Chorused the other three in the room.

Skull shook his head "it sucks I know, but I happen to know his lawyer. Damien Maxwell may be the only lawyer in this city better than me. The most I can see him getting is community service."

While Jason gets time for doing the same thing," Grumbled Tommy. "yeah; sounds fair to me."

Skull waived him off. "Don't worry about Jason. I called Kat and she is on her way to bail him out. For some reason, she already had the money and was heading down there anyway."

Kim smiled for the first time in a very long time. Tommy had called a few former rangers and all were willing to donate money to the "bail Jason out of jail fund" especially when they were told why he needed to be bailed out. Kat had been more than willing to go get her boyfriend out.

"Anyway," continued Skull, "I can and will take care of Jason. I am fully confident that I can get him community service, time served, and maybe mandatory anger management classes. It may not be as good as what Chris will get, but it's better than prison."

Tommy could not argue with that logic. "Thank you so much Skull."

"Hey, don't mention it. Don't worry about a thing you two. I will take care of this. Kim, you will have your girls. I promise you that. He beat you, meaning that he poses a danger to you and them. I will make sure that you get sole custody."

Kim, tears in her eyes, silently nodded her thanks.

"If I may suggest one thing though…"

"What's that?"

"This whole process may take awhile. I don't think it's a good idea for the three of you to stay here. While I see no problem with it, it may make things easier when it comes time for the trial."

"I can't go back there with him!" Kim wailed. "I'm sorry Tommy I just can't!"

She buried her face in Tommy's chest again while he looked over at Skull, imploring for help.

"I didn't say that you had to go home Kim. In fact, I think it would be wise to stay away from him and your home for awhile. I will file for a restraining order today so that until trial time, he has to stay away from you, and only have supervised visits with the girls."

Kim nodded. "But where can I go? Chris has control of the money and…"

"You will stay with me and Billy." Hayley had spoken up for the first time.

"Hayley no! You two are about to get married. The last thing you need is a  
mess like this invading your privacy."

But Hayley would hear nothing of it. "Trust me girl, you of all people  
should know that being friends with Tommy, there is very little time where  
there is no drama around." She paused to smirk at the man in question who  
gave her one right back..

"Anyway, we don't mind in the least. In fact, it works out fine because I really do need someone other than my mother to wedding plan with, and who better to shop for the dresses with me than the infamous shopaholic herself Kim Hart?"

"I don't know what to say Hayley, this means so much to me.  
Thank you.""

"You are welcome. I am more than willing to help any way I can, and I am pretty sure I can speak for Billy on this too.'

Kim though about her surrogate brother and smiled. More than likely he would have been upset if Hayley had NOT extended the invitation.

"OK, we accept I guess. I just hope you know what you are getting into with my girls," Kim said with a smile.

"I was one myself at one time. Besides, I need to get to know my flower girls."

"Oh Hayley! Now you are being too generous!"

"I was going to ask them anyway. Do you think that they would do it?"

"No doubt they would. Sam might hesitate a bit, but she will do it, and Becky loves any excuse to get dressed up."

Skull stood up and gathered his paperwork into his  
briefcase. "Well, now that this is all settled for now, I need to get going.  
I want to file that restraining order before the court closes for the day.  
Tommy, Kim, I will stay in touch."

Tommy again thanked Skull, and shook his hand before he hugged Kim and left. Hayley also excused herself, saying that she wanted to arrange things for Kim's arrival with Billy. Tommy sat next to Kim and drew her close. Kim lay her head on his shoulder.

"Tommy, what's going to become of us?"

"What do you mean Beautiful?"

The sound of his name for her still made her heart flutter.

_Finally, I am someone's beautiful again. _

"What I mean Tommy is that soon Skull is going to file for divorce for me and there will be a long trial and custody battle. I will be damned if I am going to let him near those girls again. But I need to know, where are you in all of this?"

Tommy answered without hesitation. "Where am I in all of this Kim? You should know the answer to that already. I am and always will be right next to you through the whole thing. Whatever you or your girls need, you just come to me, and I will be there. When all of this is over, you and I can start a life together."

Kim's heart skipped a beat. "Are you asking me to marry you Tommy? Because that is way, way too fast for me."

"No Beautiful that is not what I meant. What I mean is that you and I have second change together, and I want to take it. I want to get to know you more, I want to get to know Sam and Becky too. We can take this slow Kim and see where it goes. When the divorce is final, we will see where we are, and take it from there. But I do know one thing for sure."

"What's that?"

"I love you Kimberly, with all of my heart, and I want the chance to love your girls too in a way that their father has been lacking for most of their lives."

Kim's heart was butter.

"Tommy…….you have no idea what it means for me to hear that from you. I agree that we should take this slow, mainly for the sake of the case, but I want you to know that if it were not for that, I would be all over you now."

They both laughed, releasing tensions that had been building all day. Kim then got more serious.

"But know that I love you too Tommy, and I am sure that the girls will too as soon as they get to know you more."

With that, Kim fell asleep again, and Tommy held her close until he was sure she was soundly asleep before leaving the room.

He came downstairs to find the house mainly empty. Aisha was playing dolls with Becky, but Sam was nowhere to be found. Tommy looked around and found her sitting alone on the living room couch. He crossed over to her and sat down next to her.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked the girl.

Sam said nothing but gave an indifferent shrug. Tommy could tell that there was something eating at the girl.

_And why shouldn't something be? This girl has been through hell in the past few hours._

"Is something wrong Sweetie? Do you want to talk about it?"

Then she spoke, and the question that she asked broke Tommy's heart.

"Why did my dad hurt my mom so badly?"

Tommy let out a long breath. Somehow, he had known this was coming, but it still did not prepare him for it.

"I really don't know hon. There is no excuse for what he did, and what he did was so wrong, you know that right?"

"Yeah."

"Good, because it is never alright to hurt anyone, especially ones that you love.'

"Does my dad love my mom?"

"Maybe at one time he did, but he did not show it last night did he?" He put his arms around the girl and gave her a tight hug.

"The only thing that you need to know now is that your mom, you, and your sister are all safe. You are going to go stay with Uncle Billy and Aunt Hayley for awhile while we go and fix things. Your mom will recover, and as long as I am around, all three of you will be safe."

Tommy's words and his hug went a long way to easing Sam's mind. She was still worried about her mom and her family, but she was starting to feel as though everything was going to be alright. She still loved her father, but from what she saw of her mother last night, it would be a long time before she was not scared of him.

"Tommy?"

"Yes Sweetie?"

"Can I call you Uncle Tommy?"

Tommy was touched by this question, though he silently hoped that he would be more than just an uncle figure to this girl and her sister.

"Of course you can, and so can Becky. Now, what do you say we all go out for some ice cream? My treat."

Sam nodded enthusiastically and ran to get her sister. Tommy went to get his wallet while Aisha got the girls ready.

_I will protect them._

Skull was true to his word and moved fast. By the end of the day Kat had  
bailed Jason out in short order and after a quick, but effective trial. Jason  
was sentenced to forty hours of community service and ordered to attend a six  
week anger management class. Jason grumbled, but decided that it was well  
worth it. Skull also filed the restraining order which said that Chris could  
not come within three hundred yards of Kimberly, but he could still see his  
girls, providing that a court appointed representative was present at all  
times. A few days later Kim moved herself and her girls into Billy and  
Hayley's home and they were actually enjoying themselves quite a bit helping  
her get ready for the wedding. She was still visiting Tommy, but trying to  
keep the visits few and far between, not wanting anything to possibly  
interfere with the upcoming divorce and custody cases.

A few weeks later...

The divorce had been relatively easy. Kim asked for nothing from the marriage  
but her girls, and while Chris did try to fight it, Skull pulled some strings  
and the divorce motion was passed. Kim was now a free woman, which made Tommy  
endlessly happy, though Kim still wanted to hold off starting something with  
him until after the custody case.

Finally, the day arrived. The hearing to determine the custody of Samantha and Rebecca Travis had come.

And there we go. The next chapter, to no one's surprise will cover the case. What will happen there and will Tommy and Kim finally come completely together? You may have to wait a bit to find out as I am leaving this weekend to go back to school. I will try to keep the wait short though. As always, please rate and review. They keep me sane at times.


	8. Custody and a question

**Disclaimer**: I have never, nor will I ever own any part of Power Rangers, though the characters of Samantha, Rebecca, and Chris Travis are my own creations. This is just for pure fun.

**Summary:** Kim is finally divorced and ready to start her life with Tommy, but will her ex win custody of her kids and what will happen when his mistress enters the picture again? Updated finally!

**Pairings:** Kim/OC, with mentions of Jason/Kat, Billy/Hailey, and Connor/Kira

**Time:** Post DT

A/N: I am SO sorry about the late update. School has started again and I had a rough first week moving back into the dorms and starting classes. But, I am back again and I promise that the next update will come much sooner! This story is almost done though, but a sequel may be in the works, I have not decided yet. Enjoy this chapter though!

A/N 2: As always, big thanks to my beta "Danielle". Who has more patience for me than I probably deserve.

**Chapter eight: Custody and a question**

She was scared out of her mind. How could this happen? They were so careful! They took every precaution to make sure that something like this could never happen. He assured her that it could never happen, and she had trusted him. But still, here she was, sitting on the edge of her bathtub with a positive pregnancy test in her hand. This was not good, not good at all. There was just too much going on in both of their lives right now; neither of them needed something like this. What was she going to do? What was she going to tell him? HOW was she going to tell him? She supposed that there were ways to deal with this and have it over quick. But she needed more information on that, and besides, he deserved to know since this was one half his fault too. Still, she was not looking forward to that conversation.

It was the morning of the first day of the case that would decide the custody of Samantha and Rebecca Travis. Skull and Chris' lawyer had been meeting with the judge for the previous week, so that meant that all of the preliminary stuff had been taken care of, and the trial should be a short one. Skull was confident that they could get it done in a single day.

Tommy was lost in thought. He had just picked up Kim from Billy's home and the two of them were on their way to the courthouse. Sam and Becky were staying with Jason and Kat for the day as both of them wanted to spare them as much grief as possible, and they were sure that this day would bring more than a fair share of grief. Tommy was taking a moment to think back to the events of the previous night.

**Flashback:**

He had decided that in order to take Kim's mind off of the case, he would treat her to a romantic dinner that he had cooked himself. She had hesitated at first, not wanting to leave the girls alone, but Hayley had volunteered to look after them and assured Kim that all would be well. But it was not without some worry that Kim arrived at Tommy's house promptly at 6:00pm. The house was dark, so she had to feel her way around until she reached the kitchen. Once there, she gasped. There was the one man she would every truly love standing in the middle of a kitchen that was lit only with candles and holding in his hand a single red rose. He was dressed to impress in a simple black tuxedo and red bow tie. She had to steady herself on the doorframe as she was about to faint, overwhelmed by the sheer romance and trouble that Tommy had obviously gone through.

"Come on Beautiful, none of that now." Tommy said as he came over to lead her to one of the chairs at the table, which was set with what appeared to be a very well put together dinner.

"I can't have you fainting when I have gone though all of this trouble."

"Tommy…this….this is too much," Kim protested, though mildly. The fact was, she loved every moment of this, and it just made her love Tommy even more, if that was even possible. She had a feeling of what may be going on here, but she decided to hold her tongue and let Tommy play the part so to speak. After he had sat her down, he moved to his place across from her and sat. He took her hands in his and spoke.

"Now before I let you eat Beautiful, I have something to say."

Kim just nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"I know that we agreed that we would take it slow for the sake of the situation, but I have to tell you Kim, these past few weeks with you and the girls have been nothing short of amazing. I have loved spending time with Becky and Sam and I really think that I have gotten to know them pretty well."

"They do love you Tommy. They are starting to look at you as a father figure."

He did not show it, but inside, Tommy was jumping for joy at that little bit of news. He had been hoping for something like that.

"I am glad to hear that Kim, I really am, because I want to be in their lives more, I want to be in your life more. I know that I see you guys on a fairly regular basis, but I cannot help but feel a little selfish. I want more. I want to wake up next to you every  
morning. I want to fight with the kids over the Sunday paper every week; and  
when the time comes in fifteen or so years," he said with a grin, "I want to be sitting in the living room interrogating whatever unfortunate soul wants to come over and take our daughters on a date."

Kim's heart jumped into her chest. Tommy had called them HIS daughters. Not that she minded. He would be much more of a father to the girls than Chris ever was. She now knew for certain what Tommy was about to do and she was more than ready for it. She waited for him to continue. Tommy reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box and opened it, revealing a single carat princess cut diamond ring.

"Now that you are back in my life my pink princess and a single woman again, I am not going to waste any time in making sure you do not stay single for long. Kimberly, will you marry me?"

There it was, and even though she was expecting it, she still started to cry. She knew without a doubt what she wanted her answer to be, but it took her a few seconds to get the words out.

"Yes Tommy, of course I will marry you!"

Tommy smiled while slipping the ring onto her finger and leaned across the table for a kiss.

_I may have made the biggest mistake of my life the first time around, but I sure as hell am not going to make the same mistake again._

**End flashback**

Last night was a brief respite in all the chaos, the calm before the storm so to speak. Tommy reluctantly shook those happy thoughts out of his head and turned his attention to the matter at hand. The woman he loved, his fiancée now, sat next to him with a mixture of worry and determination on her face. Whatever it took, Tommy was going to get her through this.

That same morning, Chris Travis was at the home that until recently, he had shared with his wife. He may not have loved her anymore, or even liked the woman, but the bitch had gotten away from him, and that rankled him more than anything. He never lost, at anything, and Kim had gone and done just that. Still, it was not over yet, there was still the custody case today and he would take those brats from her even if he could not even stand them. If it hurt Kim, then he wanted to do it any way he could.

He had just finished knotting his tie when he heard Karen come into the room behind him. She had been living there with him ever since Kim had fled and while he found some pleasure in that, she was starting to act like his wife, which he most certainly did not likeHe supposed that he would have to get rid of her eventually and find someone better. Who knew? It could be sooner rather than later.

"Chris?"

He turned and looked at her. Was it just his imagination or did she look a little off today? She did not look like her normal perky self. Oh well, whatever was wrong with her was none of his concern.

"Yes love, what is it?" he said with false sincerity.

"I…I have something to tell you and I am afraid that it will not be easy."

"Let me guess, your pregnant." He said in a joking tone. When she did not laugh or even correct him, all color left his face.

"You're not pregnant, are you?"

Karen was still silent, but barely nodded her head in the affirmative. Neither spoke for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only a few seconds. Finally, Chris broke the silence.

"Get out."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said, get your things, and get out of my house you whore."

"Chris did you hear me? I am pregnant with YOUR child!"

"And how do you know that for sure?"

"I can't believe that you would even think of going there Chris Travis! I have been completely faithful to you, which is more than I can say for you! You are the only one I have been with in the past year, so like it or not, this child is yours!"

"How can I believe a woman that slept with a married man? Now get out before I call the cops!"

"Fine Chris, I'll leave, but I am not going to go down without a fight. I am sure that your ex wife and her legal team will love to know that your mistress is pregnant with your child. I know that that will show the judge for sure what an excellent father you are."

With those words, something inside of Chris snapped. He had only felt this way once in his life, the night that he "took care of" Kim. Karen was threatening to take something else away from him, something that while he did not care about, was still something he wanted, and he could not allow that to happen. As she turned to leave, Chris grabbed her from behind and threw her across the room.

Karen's world went black.

Hours later, the custody case was in full swing. Tommy sat with Kim and Skull on the plaintiff side of the room while Chris was silently seated with his lawyer, Mr. Dick Maxwell. Kim has looked over a few times at Chris, and he did not look like himself. He looked as though he was very uneasy and was trying very hard to hide something. Then again, this WAS Chris we were talking about, given recent events, Kim would not hold it past him to do anything. Cursing herself, she turned her attention back to what was going on in the room. Currently, Skull was addressing the judge.

"As you can see your honor, based on the police reports and written testimonies from Dr. Adam Park as well as the photographs also submitted, it is clear that Mr. Travis is capable of extreme anger issues as well as domestic violence. It would be a huge risk, not to mention a danger to those children if he is allowed even partial custody."

Chris' lawyer stood up and spoke.

"I am by no means excusing the actions of my client your honor. That he did assault his wife is clear, but he has since paid his debt to society for that crime and he did do it because she was cheating on him with that man." He said pointing to Tommy.

"Objection!" screamed Skull. "That is pure speculation and cannot be proven so therefore cannot be taken into consideration."

Tommy silently cheered Skull. He had come a long way from the bully that he once was and Tommy vowed to pay him back for this, somehow, when this was all over.

"Sustained" answered Judge Alexander. "Please stick to relevant testimony counselor."

"I believe that it is relevant your honor. All I am trying to say is that this woman is no saint, if she did indeed cheat on him, who is to say that she will not do it again, or even worse, neglect her children?"

At this, Kim stood up, even with Tommy trying to hold her down.

"I would never neglect those kids! They are my life! My everything!" She turned to face Chris, "You don't even want them, I know you too well to not know that. You just want them to keep them away from me, but that will not happen. I will give them a good home, and thanks to this man," she pointed to Tommy, "I will give them a good father as well. So you can just go to hell!"

She sat down and let her tears take over. Tommy put his arms around her and let her melt into his embrace as he tried to comfort her. He looked daggers over at Chris, who seemed to not be affected in the least by Kim's outburst.

For his part, Judge Alexander let the tirade end and took a deep breath.

"Thank you Mr. Skullovich and Mr. Maxwell. I have seen all of the evidence that you have presented and I have heard your testimonies from both parties as well as your witnesses. There will be a short recess while I go to my chambers to decide the matter."

"You have not heard everything your honor."

All heads turned to the new voice coming from the back of the courtroom. Several gasps could be heard as they took in the site of the battered and disheveled woman. Karen took several shaky steps forward toward the judges stand.

"I…I have something to say your honor, if you don't….."

She never finished her thought. It was as if she had expended all of her energy to get where she was and could take no more. She fell to the ground and immediately lost consciousness. Adam and Dana Grayson, who were in the room to support Kim, immediately rushed to her aid. Neither of them could miss the puddle of blood that was coming from between her legs.

_I am sorry! I go over two weeks without an update and I leave this chapter with a cliffhanger. I promise though, it will not be nearly as long before the next chapter comes out. I pinky swear it! As always, please rate and review. They let me know how well I am doing and I love to read them!_


	9. Closure

**Disclaimer**: I have never, nor will I ever own any part of Power Rangers, though the characters of Samantha, Rebecca, and Chris Travis are my own creations. This is just for pure fun.

**Summary:** Kim is finally divorced and ready to start her life with Tommy, but will her ex win custody of her kids and what will happen when his mistress enters the picture again? Updated finally!

**Pairings:** Kim/OC, with mentions of Jason/Kat, Billy/Hailey, and Connor/Kira

**Time:** Post DT

A/N: This is the final chapter, so please enjoy. Sorry it is so short, but all it is doing is wrapping some things up!

A/N 2: Thanks so much to "Danielle" my beta. Here is hoping she sticks around to beta many more of my stories!

**Chapter nine: Closure**

The court was in an uproar. The sudden appearance and collapse of Karen Roberts took more than a few people by surprise. There she was, lying unconscious on the middle of the courtroom floor, bleeding from between her legs and being tended to by Adam and Dana. Everyone else was starting to crowd around, trying to see who this woman was and why she had appeared out of nowhere. Judge Alexander was trying his best to restore order, but to no avail. There would be no order in this courtroom, at least not now.

There was, however, one person who was completely calm in the middle of all of this chaos. Chris knew who Karen was of course, and more to the point, he knew WHY she was there and how she had gotten in the state she was in. He looked around; trying in vain to see a way out of the situation, but deep down he knew that he was finally trapped. How was he supposed to know that she was serious about trying to take him down? He had beaten her just to make sure that that very thing did not happen. Obviously, he should have done a better job. And that blood coming from between her legs could not bode well for him. If that baby growing inside of her died, then he knew that he would not see daylight for quite some time.

Dana and Adam were working feverishly over Karen. They had no idea who she was, but their medical training had kicked in almost immediately.

"Carter!" Dana called to her husband, "please get these people back away, I need to find out where this bleeding is coming from and I am sure that she would appreciate a bit of privacy."

Carter nodded and with the help of Rocky, Jason, and Kat, soon had a small area cleared away from the stricken woman. While Adam checked her  
pulse and respiratory rate, Dana concerned herself with the blood, and what she saw concerned her deeply. She saw where the blood was coming from and just how much it was, and made the decision immediately. She turned to face the judge who was looking on waiting for information so he could make a decision on what to do next.

"Your honor, we need to get her to a hospital right now. She is losing too much blood for my liking and I can only stop it so much."

He nodded. "This court is adjourned until tomorrow morning at 9:00. Mr. Skullovich and Mr. Maxwell, if any new information presents itself before that time due to recent events, you may present them to me in my chambers one hour before that. I will make my decision at that time."

He banged his gavel just as a crew of paramedics rushed into the room, having been called by the court bailiff. Karen was quickly loaded up and secured onto the gurney, with Dana straddling her with her hands pressed onto her body, trying to control the bleeding.

Tommy and Kim had been silent through this whole process. Upon seeing Karen, Kim not only knew who she was, but also knew why she was in the state she was in. She should, Chris had put the same kind of marks on her just a few months ago. Tommy had seen her face turn the palest shade of white that he had ever seen, and knew right off what was wrong. He put his arm around her and drew her close to him, seeking to comfort her in any way that he could. She felt stiff in his embrace, but it did not take long for her to melt into it and bury her face into his chest. Though it all though, Tommy could not help but think that this whole ordeal was finally over.

The next day, Tommy's feeling became fact. Skull paid a visit to Karen's hospital room that same night she was admitted, and with two policemen as witnesses, she told him everything that had happened that day. Chris could not get himself out of trouble this time, the first time his connections could make a case for him, but this time, not only did he beat a woman, but that beating caused her to spontaneously abort, which was the cause for the profuse bleeding. Dana had tried, but she just could not stop the bleeding. With that, Chris was charged with assault and manslaughter. It was an agreed upon fact that he would be going to prison for a fair amount of years. Karen would heal, at least physically, but it would be years, if at all, before she recovered mentally. She did, get the surprise of her life when on the second day of her hospital stay, Kim came to visit her.

_Flashback:_

"_Tommy, I don't know why, but I have to go see her.'_

"_But why Beautiful? She was your husband's mistress; she had a part in making your life miserable for who knows how long?"_

"_I know Tommy, I know. But she has suffered just as much as I have at his hands, now she knows some small part of what I had to deal with. I think that we both need to move on with our lives, we both need closure. I want her to know that I forgive her."_

_Tommy thought about this, and could find no valid reason to argue. She did have a point. So in the end, he agreed that she should go._

Both women were wary of each other at first, but it was not long before both of them had broken down and had ended up crying in each other's arms. Karen may never be her best friend, but they had found a common bond and were both better people for having lived through it. Kim left Karen's hospital room having found the closure that she so desperately needed.

Finally, she could escape the limbo she had been trapped in for over ten years.

Two years later:

If someone had told Kim three years ago that she would be married to Tommy Oliver and be eight and a half months pregnant with his child, she would have called the nuthouse. But here she was, married to the most wonderful man on the planet and about to give birth to her third daughter. Samantha and Rebecca were thriving in their new life. They no longer had the nightmares that had plagued them since the night Chris had assaulted her and were excelling both in school and in their social lives. They rarely even asked about Chris and had taken to calling Tommy "Dad". It helped that he had applied to legally adopt them as soon as Kim found out she was pregnant.

Chris was sentenced to twenty years in prison with the possibility of parole. He wanted his girls to visit often, but Kim only did so when they asked to, which was not often. Prison did seem to agree with Chris, from all reports he had turned over a new leaf and was even teaching a small bible study class to fellow inmates. Kim hoped that he had truly changed, but after what she had been through, she still had her doubts.

One week later, after just a six hour labor, Kim gave birth to their third child, Amber Nicole Oliver. She had her father's dark hair and brown eyes and her mother's mouth. All in all, she was a beautiful child. As she looked down at her infant daughter in her arms with her loving husband and precious daughters at her side, Kim could only think of one thing.

_I was wrong. I do deserve to be happy._

**And that, my friends, is the end. I hope that you all enjoyed my little take on "the letter" and thanks for sticking with me through that trip. Thank you all for the reviews both kind and not so kind, though the former have outweighed the later by a ton. As always, if anyone is interested in writing a sequel or side story for this story, please let me know. I will more than likely not write one myself. Also, reviews make me smile so review away!**


	10. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

I try never to do these things, especially at the end of a story, but I felt as though this was a good exception. So I was re reading this story last week and thought, hey, it's time for a sequel. No sooner had I thought that, and then a plot smacked me right in the head. So, "Never in Limbo" was born. As those of you who have subscribed to story alerts for this story have loved it so much, I thought that you might like to know about the sequel. The link to it is on my profile page. Enjoy!


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